Lam Sai Weng was a great Southern
Shaolin master who learned from the legendary master Wong Fei Hoong. Nowadays we
refer to their style of kungfu as Hoong Ka Kungfu but during his time it was
generally known as Shaolin Kungfu.

Previously Lam Sai Weng was a pork
seller. Hence he was nicknamed "Chiu Yoke Weng" or "Pocky Weng".
Later he became a professional kungfu teacher, and was the most important in
spreading Hoong Ka Kungfu to posteriority.

Sifu Lam Sai Wing came from the village of Pingzhou,
Nanhai district, in Guangdong province. He was born into a family of martial
artists. Lam when young was very strong, healthy, clever and eager to learn. As
a youth he learned martial skills from his grandfather. By working hard and
diligently he made good progress. When he grew older he had mastered the family
system of martial arts completely. Later on he also got instructions from famous
teachers as Ng Cheun and Wong Fei Hung. At the age of twenty he was quite
skilled and famous. Later he started his own school in Guangzhou en many
students enrolled, more than 10.000!

In the last years of the Qing Dynasty there was a
tournament in which Lam Sai Wing took first place, so his fame in the city of
Guangzhou grew.

There are many stories regarding Lam
Sai Weng. Once his sifu Wong Fei Hoong was ambushed by about a hundred hired
killers in Lok Seen Theatre. Lam Sai Weng led some classmates and risked their
lives to help Wong Fei Hoong fight his way out of the ambush.

Lam Sai Weng was best known for his
solid horse-stance, power arms and tiger-claws. Everyday he practised for hours
what was called "Phor Long Sau Fatt" or the "Technique of Wave
Breaking Hands". He sat on the horse-riding stance, and separated his two
arms against a thick rope tied in a loop. When the thick rope could not
withstand the strikes of his arms, he changed the rope for plaits of human hair.

One day a bully called Lau Sam Ming who
was an expert in Northern Shaolin Kungfu challenged Lam Sai Weng to a duel. Law
jumped up and executed double flying kicks at Lam Sai Weng. Lam Sai Weng
remained at his horse-riding stance and used his "Wave-Breaking Arms"
to block the kicks.

This was actually a bad technique to
counter a kicking attack, but Lam Sai Weng's arms were so powerful that his
internal force more than compensated for the poor technique. The kicking expert
was thrown back many feet by the block, and could not get up as both his legs
were fractured.

Lam was also a very modest and
kind person. He was very civilized and not selfish. When money was needed
for good purposes he gave performances to collect money.

In 1921 there was a collection for the Guangzhou Orphanage.
Lam Sai Wing demonstrated his skills and got the attention of president Sun
Yat Sen, who praised his martial prowess. Sun Yat Sen handed Lam a medal for
his good work for the society / community.

Lam Sai Wing became this medal
from President Sun Yat Sen.

Lam Sai
Wing was a simple man who had not the ambition to work for the government. When
he was 50 - 60 years old he moved to Hong Kong, Tzok Su Bo, Tzui Ngoon Lee Nr.
8, and started giving instructions in martial arts. He was a fine teacher who
precisely and with great care instructed his students. He was respected by all
his students as well as the community.

This article was written by Shek Jia Kuen,
published in the Wushu Magazine 'Wu Lin', Vol. 3, 1982

One of the most important
developments in the spread of Hung Gar, which is mostly overseen by other
authors, is the fact that Lam Sai Wing was a member of the Southern Kuoshu
Institute in Guangzhou (Canton) and also was associated, maybe loosely, with the
Jingwu Tiji Hui (Jingwu Martial Arts Guild).

The Southern Kuoshu Institute of
Guang Dong was established in Guangzhou in the early thirties. It was founded by
the government to revitalise and reorganise Kung Fu. The first director was
Chang Chih Chiang. This Institute had several divisions: Mok Gar Kuen, Choy Lee
Fut, Leung Pai, Pack Mee Pai and Hung Gar. The last division was run by Lam Sai
Wing.

The Jingwu Tiji Hui was formed much
earlier, with branches in Guangzhou and in Hong Kong (1918). It was founded in
March 1909 in Shanghai by Huo Yuen-Jar. Teachers of Jingwu also held regular
classes at the wellknown Lignan University. The Southern Kuoshu Institute and
the Jingwu closed their doors in 1937 when the Japanese invaded China. Today
there are many Hung Gar Sifu that are member of the new established Jingwu (Chin
Woo) Association.

Hung Gar also became an established
martial art because in this same period three books were printed with the forms
Gung Ji Fuk Foo Kuen, Foo Hok Seung Ying Kuen and Tit Sin Kuen. These books form
the theoretical foundation and a practical framework for the practise of Hung
Gar.